Cincinnati guard Kayla Cook, right, looks to pass around Connecticut guard Saniya Chong (12) and center Kiah Stokes during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014, in ... more

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Connecticut's Saniya Chong looks to pass during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Cincinnati, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2013, in Storrs, Conn. Connecticut won 67-34.

Connecticut's Saniya Chong looks to pass during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Cincinnati, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2013, in Storrs, Conn. Connecticut won 67-34.

Photo: Jessica Hill, AP

UConn's Chong trying to shake tentative mindset

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STORRS -- UConn freshman Saniya Chong hasn't struggled in practice. She routinely looks to score and to find open teammates. Recently, however, this has not translated into success in games. She has instead been victimized by tentativeness.

"She's practiced well," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "She's looked really good. She's not going to look like Bria Hartley or Moriah Jefferson at this point. It's just she's got to get over this mental block that she's developed a little bit about being tentative. And little by little, I think she's going to get over that."

Auriemma said he knows Chong believes that she's a good player, a good offensive player. He wants her to trust her instincts and just play.

Heading into tonight's game against Central Florida at the XL Center (7, SNY), Chong has gone scoreless in back-to-back games for the first time this season. She was 0-for-3 from the field (0-of-2 3-pointers) in a career-high 37 minutes in her first start at South Florida on Sunday. She was 0-of-2 -- both 3-pointers -- in 15 minutes against Louisville Feb. 9.

Chong also has only one assist in this span.

"It's just all a mindset of me just trying not to make mistakes," Chong said. "Just being unsure a lot of times. But that's what the whole thing is I have to get out of my head. Stop thinking that way and just be very aggressive and just give it my all."

Chong, a 5-foot-8 guard, has proven that she can make an impact offensively for the Huskies (26-0, 13-0 American Athletic Conference). She averaged 8.1 points (22-of-49 FG, 12-of-34 3-pointers) and 1.9 assists in 23.8 minutes during an eight-game stretch earlier this season when Morgan Tuck and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis were sidelined due to injury.

Chong scored a season-high 16 points (5-of-8 FG, 3-of-6 3-pointers) in 27 minutes at Penn State on Nov. 17. She has attempted as many as eight shots in a game once since then (Dec. 5 vs. UC Davis).

Auriemma said he's not going to run certain plays to get Chong more looks in games. These looks should come within the flow of the offense regardless.

"I think that's something that will come naturally out of our offense because the stuff that we run, she has an opportunity to score whenever she wants to," Auriemma said. "So I'm not so worried about creating opportunities for her. I'm just going to keep encouraging her to take advantage of the opportunities that are already there."

Keep in mind, Chong is a player who completed an All-American career at Ossining (N.Y.) High with 2,988 points. She averaged 34.4 points and 9.1 assists as a senior.

"I think the best thing for freshmen to do is just to play like they know how to play and almost play like it's a pick-up game," senior Stefanie Dolson said. "I think sometimes myself as a freshman, you kind of get wrapped up in the things that coaches tell you and you try to do everything so right that you end up doing things wrong."

Chong is averaging 5.4 points and 1.8 assists in 19.9 minutes this season.

Being afforded the opportunity to start at South Florida did not help matters for Chong. She was battling nerves as her role changed. A few days removed from her start, she is hoping to make a bigger impact tonight against Central Florida.

"I'm already coming off the bench trying to fill in a role, but starting was a huge step for me," Chong said. "I just have to step up. I think that it was just the whole mindset the first time. I think that coming out (tonight), I just have to make sure that I come out aggressive and try to get to the basket as much as I can and just be very non-tentative."